Kashmiri Pandits express woes to Arvind Kejriwal; says they are 'used as pawns for votes'

On Tuesday, a group of displaced Kashmiri Pandits residing in Delhi met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence to discuss the hardships confronted by them. 

An official release by the CM's office stated, “Kashmiri Pandits while meeting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, expressed their disappointment and concern as political parties are only playing politics in their name. They said that they were used as pawns for vote-bank politics.”

Responding to Kashmiri Pandits' statements, AAP supremo Kejriwal said, “Consider me as your elder brother. I will always be there for you. The Delhi Government respects your emotions and is aware of your concerns. Rest be assured, we will address every problem that you have brought to my knowledge.”

Meanwhile, responding to Kashmiri Pandits' allegations of being used as pawns for vote bank politics, Arvind Kejriwal said, “We don’t believe in any kind of vote-bank politics. We believe in bringing change to the national capital. Just see how we have made night shelters all over the city. The people are no one’s vote bank and they deserve dignity. I just want your love and blessings. This is what keeps us going.” The Kashmiri Pandits also raised their problems to the attention of the AAP supremo, who urged concerned authorities to address all of their grievances at the earliest. They also claimed that some of their shops had been relocated near to the INA. They also apprised about an issue with the electrical connection which, they said, needs to be resolved soon. 

Kashmiri Migrant Market has no electricity connection: Kashmiri Pandits

"We were displaced by the PWD Flyover Division in the INA market," Kashmiri Pandits stated while handing over a memorandum to the Delhi CM. They further added, “However, the newly allocated Kashmiri Migrant Market has not been able to get electricity connections till now. Instead of providing electricity to our 36 stores, the power company offered estimates for installation and power connection that were prohibitive. Kashmiri migrants have suffered a lot due to frequent dislocations. And even today, we are unable to pay such a large sum and get the things done.”

The Kashmiri Pandits further said, "We need government collaboration so that the displaced traders of Jammu and Kashmir can be pacified as well. Compensation for shop relocation was also guaranteed. Other marketplaces have received per-shop reimbursement. However, we have received no monetary or in-kind assistance. We hope you would personally look into the problem and instruct the departments to provide 36 shops with electricity connections and compensation as soon as possible."

The Delhi CM, responding to this, directed officials to install transformers. “If there is no transformer at the site, then the transformer should be installed as soon as possible. Whatever expenditure is needed will be spent by the government,” said Kejriwal.

The Delhi CM further stated that the compensation for the 17 people whose shops have been shifted has been withheld. He added that it should also be released at the earliest.